


Midnight Set-Up

by goingtothetardis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Matchmaking, Romance, Waitress AU, diner au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-07 01:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6778843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/pseuds/goingtothetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is working the graveyard shift at the diner when James, astrophysicist and travel photographer, comes in for a bite to eat. The chemistry is palpable and as obvious as the matchmaking chef had hoped. He thinks they'll be his best concoction yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnight Set-Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TenRoseForeverandever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenRoseForeverandever/gifts).



> This is a little something for TenRoseForeverandEver on the occasion of her birth!! Happy Birthday!! Thanks for being such a wonderful support and source of encouragement!
> 
> I was trying to think of what to write, and I came across this prompt that wouldn't let me go:  
>  _“I tried to be slick and write my number on your napkin but you wiped it all over your face and oh there’s pen ink all over you now, lemme get that for you”_
> 
> Thanks to ShutUpAndLoveTennant and Caedmon for the beta! (And for listening to me whine endlessly about the title.) And thanks to AimToAllonsy for helping me with the summary. You are all awesome. <3 (And I hate titles and summaries.)

Rose wiped the counter top absently as she gazed into space, daydreaming about anything and everything. She still had two hours left on her shift, and the last few hours were always the hardest, especially on the graveyard shift. Coronation Diner was far enough away from the motorway that it didn’t attract close to the number of travelers than the establishments located closer. During the day, the diner drew in a steady flow of regular patrons, but at night, well, it wasn’t exactly busy. Rose used the down time to study for her A-levels, and she was thankful for the extra time. Her exams were in two months, and she was anxious to be finished, anxious to have the freedom to move on with her life. She dreamed of traveling and perhaps eventually attending university to study art. Or anything, really. For the first time in years, ever since that wanker Jimmy Stone stole her innocence (and money), she felt hopeful for the future. 

Neatly draping the towel on the rack, Rose turned to change the music. Donna, one of her coworkers, was a competitive swing dancer, and there were a few mixed CDs with a variety of swing music laying about. When she had had a hard time keeping her eyes open, Rose liked to blast the music and dance to the music around the diner. Wilf, the nighttime cook who picked up an occasional shift “just for fun,” wasn’t bothered by the music, and sat in his corner booth and read, tapping his toes to the music. 

Just as she was spinning around to “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller, the bell above the door jingled, indicating a patron. Rose spun around to greet their guest, and her jaw fell open. Standing in front of her with an amused smirk was the most handsome bloke she’d ever seen in her life. Rose took in his artfully disheveled, thick brown hair, warm brown eyes that crinkled in the corners with his smile, and his geek chic clothing: a brown suit with blue pinstripes over a light blue dress shirt and lazily done blue tie. On his feet were cream colored Converse. 

She met the bloke’s eyes and blushed as his smile widened, and she knew he’d caught her looking. He took a moment to check her out in return, an action which only enhanced her embarrassment.

“Um, hello!” Rose greeted the visitor, trying to ignore what had just happened. “Just gimme a mo’ and I’ll get the music turned down.” She hurried behind the counter and turned the volume down to normal levels. She turned back and found that the man had seated himself at the counter without prompting. 

“So,” she started. “What brings you in tonight? What can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Late-night breakfast?”

“Well, I was hoping you could help me with that. I just got done with a job, and I’m feeling quite peckish. What’s good?” The bloke donned a pair of glasses and excitedly looked over the menu he’d pulled from the pile at the end of the counter.

Rose gaped at the sight of him in glasses, and she tried to keep herself from sounding like a breathless teenager. “Well, Wilf makes a gorgeous full English, so if you’re really hungry, that’s what I’d order. And tea. Mine’s the best.” Rose caught Wilf’s eye, and he closed his book and made his way to the kitchen with a smile. “Oh, I’m Rose, by the way.” 

“Nice to meet you, Rose! I’m the Doctor! Well, James, James McCrimmon, technically, but everyone calls me the Doctor.”

Rose shook the offered hand. “You’re a doctor?”

“No. Well, yes. I have a doctorate in astrophysics and a few other advanced degrees, but after my PhD, I decided to take some time off. Now I’m a travel photographer and occasionally find time to save the world a bit on the side.”

“Blimey, that’s…” she trailed off, trying to find the right word. 

“Impressive?” The Doctor asked with a cheeky smile.

Rose rolled her eyes. Clearly this Doctor was very self-assured in his accomplishments. Choosing to ignore his ego, Rose asked, “So Doctor, know what you want to order?”

“Oh, I thought I was getting the full English and the best cuppa in all of London.”

Rose sniffed, “Best cuppa in all of England, ta. Impressive, me.” She could dish out her own brand of ego, if that’s what he wanted. 

The Doctor laughed delightedly. “So Rose,” he drew out her name, as if he was exploring the feel of her name on his lips. She quite liked it. “Tell me about yourself. Who is Rose?”

After Rose gave Wilf the Doctor’s order, she turned back to the Doctor and began preparing his tea. She considered what to tell the Doctor, as she normally chose to not give out any specific personal details about herself to the patrons. Something about this bloke, however, drew her to him, and she felt strangely comfortable sharing the details of her life. 

“Well, I’m not anything special. I’m about to finish up my A-levels. A few years late at twenty-three, but a stupid git convinced me to drop out of school when I was sixteen, and after I after working in a shop paying of his debts for a few years, I decided to get my life back and do something.”

“Oh, but that’s _brilliant_!” The Doctor exclaimed excitedly. “Do you know what you want to do after your A-levels?” 

“Well, I’ve been saving a little, and I’d like to do some traveling. Mum’s not to keen on that, but I want to see the world, at least part of it. There’s got to be more than working this shift at the diner and living with Mum on the council estate.”

The Doctor voiced his agreement, and Rose remembered their awkward first encounter several minutes before. “Oh, sorry about earlier, with the music. It hasn’t been busy tonight, and I was havin’ a hard time staying awake.”

“Make no apology. In fact, you might have to turn the music back up after I eat so I can steal a dance with you before I leave. If you’ll have me, that is. Always love a good dance party.” The Doctor winked, and Rose blushed again. Blimey, she had it bad already. 

“I’ll take you up on that offer,” Rose laughed. “If, that is, you aren’t in a food coma. Wilf makes enough to feed a small army.” As she spoke, she placed the multiple plates piled with food in front of the Doctor, and his eyes widened. 

“You aren’t lying,” the Doctor murmured in agreement before grabbing his utensils and digging into his food with enthusiasm.

While the Doctor ate, Rose told him a little more about herself before excusing herself to the kitchen for a few minutes. Wilf called her over as he cleaned up. 

“He sounds like a nice bloke, Rose. You should give him your number,” Wilf said with a grin. 

Rose groaned. “Wilf, you say that about all the nice ones. What if he’s some creep?” 

“Him? No, I’ve got a feeling about this one, Rose. Forget all those other times. I’ve seen the way he’s been looking at you. Likes what he sees in front of him, that one does. But I’ve also seen you sneak a few looks. What do you have to lose?”

“Wilf, he’s a _traveling_ photographer! I have my A-levels in two months, and it’s just not the right time to even think about starting a relationship,” Rose protested.

“Sounds like you’ve given this some thought already,” Wilf laughed. “I heard you say you wanted to travel. Two months, that’s barely a blip. Take a leap of faith, Rose.”

Rose bit her bottom lip in contemplation. Wilf was right, and really, it was all purely hypothetical, because someone as _impressive_ as the Doctor surely would never go for someone like herself. “Yeah, alright,” she agreed. 

Before returning to the Doctor, Rose found one of the markers they used to write on the specials board, and scratched a note to the Doctor with her number on a paper napkin. When she returned to her place behind the counter, she discretely placed the napkin next to the wallet he’d set on the countertop. 

The Doctor swallowed his last bite and leaned back in his seat, patting his belly. “Wilf,” the Doctor called out, looking for the cook in the kitchen. “Well done! You’ve outdone yourself. I should come home more often.”

“Wait,” Rose started, glancing between the Doctor and Wilf in the kitchen. “Do you two know each other?” 

Wilf gave Rose a sheepish look before he ducked out of sight and started banging pots and pans around in the kitchen. Rose crossed her arms and looked pointedly at the Doctor.

The Doctor nervously pulled on his left ear. “Well, uh, he’s sort of my gramps.”

Rose stared coolly at the Doctor. “You’re having me on.”

“Nope! Well, he’s technically my great uncle, but my family was, well, my family’s gone, and I was raised by Wilf and his daughter, Sylvia. Donna’s my cousin, but she might as well be my sister.” 

“So why- ” Rose broke off as as she watched the Doctor take the napkin with her number written on it and wipe his face. She forgot what she was going to say as she stared, horrified, at the Doctor. Somehow, the marker ink had bled from the napkin and smeared all over his face, dark blue ink leaving a trail around his mouth and on his cheeks. 

The Doctor noticed Rose’s expression. “Something wrong?”

Rose felt herself flush, and the Doctor pressed her further. “Rose, what is it? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I knew Wilf. He said there was a girl who worked here who he thought I’d get on with, kept trying to set me up with her, and I said no. And then I went on assignment for a few months, got back yesterday, and instead of greeting me like a normal person, Donna told me he wanted me to come here at this time and to pretend like I didn’t know him. I- ” He stopped suddenly, deep in thought. “Wilf, is Rose who you wanted me to meet? Wilf?”

There was no answer from the kitchen. The Doctor looked at Rose, and she couldn’t help but giggle at his expression. He was clearly perplexed, and paired with the unfortunate marker situation, his face painted an amusing picture. 

“Doctor,” Rose began with a laugh, “I think we’ve been set up. By Wilf.”

“Ah.” The tips of the Doctor’s ears turned red, which made him even more endearing. 

“But, um, Doctor, that’s not- That’s not why I stopped talking. You have, um, marker on your face.”

The Doctor’s left eyebrow lifted in confusion, and he looked down at the napkin still in his hand. “What? Why is there marker on my face? Why is there marker on my napkin?”

Rose avoided the Doctor’s inquisitive gaze and stared resolutely at the counter. “Well, Wilf told me to give you my number, so I wrote it on the napkin, and you obviously didn’t see it before you- ” Rose mimed him wiping off his face. “Oh, just let me help you with that.” Rose reached for a clean towel, wet it with warm water and a bit of soap, and handed it to the Doctor. 

She laughed when he daintily wiped it around his lips, barely touching the marker, and he scowled at her. “Well, you do it then,” he grumbled.

Rose took the towel and leaned over the counter so she could reach the Doctor’s face. She gently wiped the marker off his cheeks, and when she reached his mouth, her fingers softly grazed his bottom lip on accident. His lips parted with a short inhalation, and she abruptly pulled her hand back. Their eyes met, and the look in the Doctor’s eyes sent a pleasant tingling low in her belly. 

“There you go,” she said, clearing her throat. “No more marker.” 

He patted his cheeks with a word of thanks. Removing his glasses, he tucked them in his jacket before standing up and walking behind the counter. He offered his hand to Rose and said, “I do believe I was promised a dance.”

Rose smiled and turned the music back up, and hand and hand they walked out to the main floor. The Doctor proved to be a worthy dance partner as they spun and twirled around the room, carefully avoiding tables and chairs. The Doctor bent Rose back at the end of a song, then pulled her flush against him. The song changed to a slow medley.

“Rose,” the Doctor murmured. “You’re wrong. You are special. Earlier you said you weren’t, and I know we don’t know each other but, well, I disagree with your self-assessment. I think you’re brilliant. I just... thought you should know,” he finished lamely.

Rose looked up at him with a grin. “I’m so glad Wilf arranged this _meeting_. It made my night much more interesting. And you certainly know how to woo a girl with a dance.”

“Yes, well, you don’t grow up with Donna without being a practice dance partner a time or two. Or five hundred.”

Rose smirked. “Well, she taught you well.”

They danced slowly together for a few more minutes before the Doctor spoke again. “Would you like to travel with me, Rose?”

Rose’s heart sank. “I have my A-levels in two months. I can’t, at least, not yet. I already gave up my life once for a bloke, and I won’t do it again.”

“Nor would I ask you to. It just so happens, however, that I have a two-month long teaching position starting next week at Imperial College as a favor to a colleague. After that, it’s the great unknown.” The Doctor spread his arms out in emphasis. “Rose, I’ve been traveling alone for so long, and I’d love you to come, if you want.”

“Better with two?” Rose asked. 

“I hope so. But I’ll need to get your number again.”

+++

Peering in the front windows from outside, Wilf did a little jig around the parking lot. He’d known the second he met Rose that she would be a perfect match for his grandson, and from the outside looking in, it looked like the first meeting went very well. The two had wanderlust in their veins, and he knew the urge to travel and explore was a vital part of who they each were. Donna would be pleased, as she’d agreed with his assessment of Rose. Wilf had mentioned his plan to his granddaughter and had only just talked her into staying home. He pulled out his cell-phone and slowly punched in a message for Donna. 

_Mission accomplished. Now, let’s plan the next two months._


End file.
